EFFECT OF THE SOMATOSTATIN ANALOG OCTREOTIDE ON EXPERIMENTAL PANCREATITIS IN RATS

Somatostatin and its analogue octreotide have a profound inhibitory ef fect on the endocrine and exocrine secretions of the pancreas, stomach , and small intestine, Previous studies have been inconclusive about t he possible therapeutic effect of somatostatin and its analogues in th e treatment of pancreatitis, This study assessed the effect of the lon g acting somatostatin analogue, octreotide, in two models of experimen tal pancreatitis in rats, Necrotizing pancreatitis was induced by panc reatic injection of 5 ml taurocholate, 5% in male Wister rats. In a se cond model mild edematous pancreatitis was induced by intravenous inje ction of caerulein at a supramaximal dose, 6 mu/kg/hr, for 5 hr. Compa red to untreated rats, treatment with octreotide either prior to or fo llowing the induction of necrotizing pancreatitis resulted in less hyp ocalcemia (P < 0.05) and acidosis (P < 0.05), and prevented the increa se in pancreatic weight (P < 0.05). Amylase levels remained high, Afte r 20 days, there was less pancreatic damage, lower mortality rates (P < 0.05), and increase in body weight (P < 0.05), In the model of milde r pancreatitis, octreotide treatment attenuated the increase in pancre atic weight (P < 0.05) and pathological damage (P < 0.05), We conclude d that the somatostatin analogue octreotide has a beneficial effect in the treatment of experimental acute pancreatitis. (C) 1996 Academic P ress, Inc.